Arbor day was first celebrated as a state holiday on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska City, Nebraska. The founder of this newly made holiday was Julius Sterling Morton, an activist in forestry and agriculture. The first recorded tree plantation festival was in 1594, in the Spanish village of Mondoñedo.

The globalization of Arbor Day was mainly caused by Birdsey Northrop (Right). He wrote a book about the trees in Europe, inspiring his state Connecticut to start an arbor day there. As the holiday developed President Nixon made it a national holiday, and it is to be celebrated on the last Friday of April.